1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dynamic mixers which are especially useful for continuous mixing operations.
2. Background Information
Improved equipment for mixing of materials of widely different viscosities to provide a homogeneous product is always in demand. Today much of the equipment for mixing materials of different viscosities is either batch type equipment and/or static type mixers. Batch mixing equipment has the obvious disadvantage that it is slow, often leads to high waste rates, and often expensive because of the labor costs. Static mixing equipment usually requires high shear conditions when highly viscous materials are mixed because the material is forced through the mixer and high shear can damage the material being mixed or increase the temperature above desirable ranges. Static mixers often require high pressures with the pressure differencial from input to output increasing with longer mixers or multiple mixers.
A diligent search was conducted to find a mixer which would allow a continuous mixing operation and produce a product which was homogeneous over the entire production as long as the feeds were constant. The applicants have now discovered such a mixer.